Shank reinforced shoe construction



April 13, 1948.` M. KAUFMANN 2,439,431

SHARK REIHFORCED SHOE CONSTRUCTION Fil-Led Sept. 5, 1944 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNvENToR.'

ME/.v/LLE /fAuf-MANN. v BY 4 AT1-CRN EY.

. April 13 1948- M. KAUFMANN 2,439,431

SHANK REINFORGED SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 5, 1944 2 Sheets-,Sheet 2 |NvENToR.- MELVILLE HAUFMANN.

ATTORNEY.

wardly as at I3 to provide an arch I4 in the midsole and create the spring effect in the heel.

The midsole may have an edge covering I5 of :IieXible leather, fabric, rubber or other sheet material serving the double purpose of finishing and decorating the raw edges of the cushioning material and serving to aid in retaining the shape of the midsole and in securing it to the other associated parts of the shoe; The covering material selected should be wide enough to be inturned and secured to the upper and lower surfaces of the cushioning pad or midsole, as shown in Figure 2, and the lower surface of the heel lift I2, wherein the edges I6 of the material are illustrated as being turned inwardly and cemented, or otherwise secured, to the surface of the cushioning pad.

It is to the arched midsole unit so formed and comprising the pad and beveled heel lift that my outsole 2l is attached. The outsole may be leather, rubber, or other durable wearing material.

To insure stability of the arched portion of the outsole of the shoe created in accordance with my invention and the attendant decorative and strucn tural advantages in the shoe a stiliF shank element 22 is positioned between the upper and midsole. Such element 22 is preferably arched and positioned to extend from about the center of the heel to a point just back of the tread of the sole, thereby resulting in reduction `of weight and pressure on the arched portion of the midsole and outsole. The positioning of the shank relative to the midsole is shown in Figure 2. This shank may be made of wood, metal, plastics, hard rubber and/ or other stiff and otherwise suitable material.

It is preferable to form the shank 22 with a relatively thick center section 23 convex at the bottom and fiat at the top, merging this section in thinner flat ends 2:3. The shank will ordinarily be cemented down to the pad of the midsole, and as the pad is yielding the convex surface can settle into the pad without cutting it at the region where the shank sustains the greatest stress.` As shown, this shank is merely interposed between the insole 'I and the midsole 9, and bridges the arch it.

It will be apparent that cementing, sewing, stapling or equivalent methods may be employed for attaching the outsole to the midsole. The heel lift may be attached by such various means to the midsole pad either above or below it, or formed as an integral part thereof. The covering for the unit comprising the heel lift and pad may be cemented and/or sewn to said unit. The positioning of the arched member on said unit may be rendered secure and the upper and insole attached to said midsole by any similar means.

It will thus be observed that I have provided a casual shoe or slipper construction having the comfort and advantages embodied in a midsole with a built in heel lift and yet so constructed as to receive and support an arched outsole. The construction yof the shoe is further characterized by the presence of a rigid internal arched supporting element cooperating to give stability to thestructural and decorative advantages of the arched outsole.

The diagonal tapered forward edge I3 of the heel lift provides the arch form extending diagonally across the shoe as shown at 25 in Figure 6. The outsole covers the entire lower surface of the shoe.

An arch is desirable, but in this type of construction would break down without a support. The heel is too low to notch it for the appearance of an arch, an expedient which is undesirable because it weakens the forward section of the heel wedge, and moreover, requires too long a wedge, at least in a mans shoe, which the present construction contemplates.

In the present construction, I have achieved a low heel of substantially normal surface area on the inside and an extension on the outside, a low arch to break the flatness of the midsole type shoe, and a simple but effective shank for sustaining the stresses on the arch.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the :details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent structures.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire-to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a casual shoe construction, an upper, the lower edges of which are turned inwardly and secured to the outer surface of an insole, a midsole comprising a sole portion of relatively thick cushioning material and a heel lift with a lower face tapered to form an arched surface, said heel lift being formed to provide a longitudinally longer area of support for the outer portion of the heel than the inner. said midsole being shaped to extend completely over the lower surface of said insole, a stii supporting element positioned between the insole and midsole unit to distribute pressure on the shoe between the tread and heel and thereby relieve stress on the arched portion, a covering of relatively thin material turned in about and covering the edges of the midsole, means securing the upper surface olf said midsole and said thin covering to the insole, an outsole coextensive with the area of the midsole, said outsole being attached to said midsole unit and conforming to the arch therein.

2. In a casual shoe construction, an upper, the lower edges of which are turned inwardly and se cured to the outer surface of an insole, a midsole comprising a sole portion of relatively thick cushioning material and a heel lift with a lower face tapered and cut to form an arch with the sole portion, said midsole being shaped to extend completely over the lower lsurface of said insole, a stiff shank'positioned between the insole and midsole extending from the center of the heel area to a point just back of the tread of the sole to distribute pressure on the shoe between the tread and heel and thereby relieve stress on the arch, said supporting member further characterized by being fiattened on top, vertically thickened at its center, tapered at the points of contact with the tread and heel of the shoe and having its thickened portion convex in cross section on the lower surface to normally7 ride upon the sole portion and to nest into the material of the midsole when under pressure' a covering of relatively thin material about the edges of the midsole, means securing the per surface of said midsole to the insole and said covering, and an outsole coextensive with the area of the midsole, said outsole being attached to said midsole and conforming to said arch.

3. In a shoe construction of the character den scribed comprising an insole and a midsole in the arch area of the shoe, a shank approximately one-third of the width of the narrowest portion of the insole and substantially rectangular in horizontal section yieldably disposed between the insole and the midsole longitudinally along the arch, said shank having a convex undersuriace normally riding upon the upper surface of the midsole yieldably nesting therein in use, and a substantially flattened upper surface adjacent the insole, said shank having relatively thin substantially flattened vertically tapered end portions merging into the main central body of the arch positioned to extend lengthwise of the shoe from the center of the heel to a point just rearward of the tread sole.

4. In a shoe construction of the character de' scribed comprising an insole and a midsole in the arch area of the shoe, a shank approximately one-third of the width of the narrowest portion of the insole and substantially rectangular in horizontal section yieldably disposed between the insole and the midsole, a heel lift providing a longitudinally longer area of support `for the outer portion of the heel than the inner portion, said shank extending longitudinally along the shoe and diagonally relative to the arch, said shank having a convex undersurface normally riding upon the upper surface of the midsole yieldably nesting therein in use, and a substantially flattened upper surface adjacent the insole, said shank having relatively thin substantially ilattened vertically tapered end portions merging into the main central body of the arch positioned to extend lengthwise of the shoe from the center of the heel to a point just rearward of the tread of the sole.

n MELVIILE KAUFMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 5,315 Watson Nov. 4, 1873 895,142 Arrowsmith Aug. 4, 1908 1,103,914 Eaton July 14, 1914 1,397,681 Foss Nov.`22, 1921 1,447,001 Winchell Feb. 27, 1923 1,811,912 White June 30, 1931 1,315,164 Schreider July 21, 1931 1,895,660 Hauch Jan. L31, 1933 2,027,557 Shultz Jan. `14, 1936.` 2,127,634 Turner Aug. 23, 1938 2,160,692 Auerback May 30, 1939 2,344,057 Pepitone Mar. 14, 1944 2,349,866 Heck May 30, 1944 2,351,818 Turner June 20, 1944 2,354,903 Wolff Aug. 1, 1944 2,359,896 Chandler Oct. 10, 1944 2,370,109 Piptone Feb. 20, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 78,843 Austria Oct. 25, 1919 

